Best Doctorate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas Programs in 2026
All 5 programs reviewed from the IPEDS database, ranked on degrees awarded and local teacher pay. CIP 13.1399.
- Most education doctorates take three to five years beyond a master's, built around coursework, comprehensive exams, and a dissertation or applied research project, often part-time.
- 0 of 5 ranked programs offer an online or hybrid option.
- Graduate programs are ranked on degrees awarded, cost-of-living-adjusted local pay, and institutional standing, not the undergraduate stats that do not describe a doctorate.
- 1
Southern University and A & M College
54score- 6Doctorates/yr
- $59,310Metro teacher pay
- Doctoral program in education
- On-campus
About the programPublished details for this doctoral program could not be verified from the institution's own materials. As a result, its exact degree type, format, concentrations, and any licensure outcomes are not documented here. As a doctoral degree in teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas, it adds to the doctoral-level teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas options in Louisiana.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 6 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Baton Rouge, LA, where elementary teachers earn a median $59,310, roughly $65,334 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
- 2
Georgia State University
44score- 15Doctorates/yr
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teaching and Learning
- On-campus
About the programGeorgia State University's Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Teaching and Learning is a research doctorate for experienced educators who want to become scholars of a specific subject rather than generalists of pedagogy. What sets it apart is its organization around subject-specific concentrations, including Language and Literacy Education, Mathematics Education, Music Education, Science Education, Social Studies Education, and Teaching and Teacher Education, so candidates deepen expertise in the discipline they already teach. The on-campus program culminates in a required dissertation, positioning it as preparation for faculty, research, and leadership roles rather than a route to classroom certification. It does not lead to teacher licensure, and the university is regionally accredited by SACSCOC. This is a program for teachers ready to move into the professoriate and shape how their field is taught and studied. This program offers a doctoral degree in teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas in Georgia.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 15 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 3
University of Massachusetts-Lowell
36score- 1Doctorates/yr
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education
- UMass Lowell is regionally accredited by NECHE
- On-campus
About the programThe University of Massachusetts Lowell's Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education is a research doctorate built for people who want to produce and evaluate educational knowledge, not simply apply it. Rather than a practitioner-only track, it emphasizes hands-on collaboration with faculty on funded, real-world research and program-evaluation projects, giving candidates apprenticeship-style experience in the work of scholarship. Students choose between concentrations in Leadership in Education and in Research and Evaluation in Education, and the degree is delivered largely on campus. Progress is marked by a pilot study, a proposal defense, and a dissertation defense, the traditional milestones of a research Ph.D. The university is regionally accredited by NECHE, and the program is not presented as leading to teacher or administrator licensure. It suits aspiring researchers and evaluators drawn to methodical, evidence-driven inquiry. As a doctoral degree in teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas, it adds to the doctoral-level teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas options in Massachusetts.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 1 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 4
Montclair State University
36score- 1Doctorates/yr
- Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Teacher Development
- On-campus
About the programMontclair State University's Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Teacher Development is a research doctorate for accomplished teachers who want to study and improve how educators are prepared and supported. The university describes it as the first program of its kind in the region and one of only a handful nationally, and it admits candidates who already bring significant teaching experience to the work. It runs as a cohort, so students move through the program alongside a consistent group of peers, and the curriculum carries an explicit focus on equity and excellence in education. A 12-credit dissertation anchors the degree as a genuine research credential rather than a practitioner certificate. The program is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and does not lead to teacher licensure. It is aimed at educators ready to shape teacher preparation as scholars and leaders. This program offers a doctoral degree in teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas in New Jersey.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteMaster's programs are judged differently here. Undergraduate stats do not apply, so the ranking looks at whether the program is established, the pay its graduates walk into locally, and how the university stands behind it. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 1 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort.
- 5
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
26score- 10Doctorates/yr
- $60,170Metro teacher pay
- Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences
- NC State University is regionally accredited by SACSCOC
- On-campus
About the programNorth Carolina State University's Ph.D. in Teacher Education and Learning Sciences is a research doctorate for educators who want to investigate how people learn and how teachers are prepared to teach. The 72-credit program pairs a substantial concentration of at least 30 hours with dedicated Scholar Leader coursework, letting candidates specialize in areas such as Educational Equity, Educational Psychology, Elementary Education in Mathematics and Science, Learning Design and Technology, Literacy and English Language Arts Education, or Social Studies Education. Nine credits of dissertation research anchor the degree in original scholarship rather than practitioner application. Delivered on campus and regionally accredited by SACSCOC, the program is not presented as a path to K-12 teaching licensure. It fits educators aiming for faculty and research careers who want deep grounding in the learning sciences. As a doctoral degree in teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas, it adds to the doctoral-level teacher education and professional development, specific subject areas options in North Carolina.
Why it ranks hereSchool siteFor a graduate program we set aside undergraduate figures and weigh three things instead: how established it is, the local market its graduates enter, and the institution's standing. On the first, it is clearly established, turning out 10 doctorates a year, a steady if smaller cohort. Its graduates step into Raleigh-Cary, NC, where elementary teachers earn a median $60,170, roughly $61,300 once local cost of living is factored in, a real-world read on what the credential is worth in that market.
Area teacher pay: Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025, adjusted for local cost of living via U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities. A location figure, not this program's graduate earnings.
How we rank
Doctoral programs specifically in elementary education are rare, most educators earn a doctorate in curriculum and instruction or educational leadership, so this is a short, complete list rather than a deep ranking. The few programs are ordered by graduate tuition affordability (50%), the university's acceptance rate (30%), and the university's graduation rate (20%). Graduate tuition is researched from each program's official page. Because the federal data does not publish graduation or admission rates for individual doctoral programs, those rates are the university's institution-wide figures, used only as rough context. Every program is shown, with no per-state cap.
- Established program size, degrees awarded per year, capped so volume alone does not win: 30%
- Local-area teacher pay, cost-of-living adjusted (BLS + BEA): 30%
- Program strength, institutional research standing plus accreditation, less a for-profit deduction: 40%
How much a doctorate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas program costs in 2026
A doctorate is a multi-year commitment, usually three to five years beyond a master's, so the total cost depends far more on how long it takes and a school's per-credit rate than on any single year's tuition. Public universities are typically the least expensive for residents, and EdD programs built for working professionals often price a fixed cohort program rather than charging by the credit. Because IPEDS reports only an institution-wide undergraduate tuition that does not describe a doctoral program, each card shows a researched per-program cost wherever a school publishes one.
Funding changes the math, and it differs sharply by track. Research-focused PhD students are frequently funded through assistantships or fellowships that waive tuition and pay a stipend in exchange for teaching or research. Practice-oriented EdD students more often pay their own way, but can use federal Grad PLUS loans, Public Service Loan Forgiveness while working in public education, and, in many districts, tuition reimbursement or a raise on the administrator salary schedule once the degree is complete.
Sources: program data from IPEDS; graduate aid from Federal Student Aid.
Ways to earn your doctorate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas
Education doctorates come in two forms, and choosing the right one matters more than the format. A Doctor of Education (EdD) is practice-oriented, built for working leaders and centered on an applied problem-of-practice dissertation, and it is commonly offered part-time, in the evening, or online so candidates can keep their jobs. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is research-oriented and prepares candidates for university faculty and research careers, usually as a longer, more full-time program with a traditional research dissertation.
Most programs here are delivered on campus, often as cohorts with intensive residencies that working professionals attend around their jobs. Whichever the path, the through-line is the same: doctoral coursework, comprehensive or qualifying exams, and an original dissertation or applied research project.
Sources: online and program counts from IPEDS.
Data sources for our Doctorate in Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas ranking
- Program counts and degrees awarded: IPEDS, US Department of Education. Cost figures are researched from each program's own published tuition, since IPEDS reports only undergraduate tuition.
- Program descriptions: each school's official catalog and program pages.